This invention relates to a cargo carrying container for a vehicle, and more particularly to a bulkhead construction for such a container.
In a cargo carrying container, such as a semitrailer adapted to be pulled behind a tractor, it is often the case that the load carried in the container does not occupy the entire volume of the container. With this situation, it is necessary to brace the load so that it does not shift during transport.
A number of U.S. patents are directed to a structure for bracing a load against movement at a location other than that of the permanent bulkhead of the container. A representative structure for accomplishing this objective is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,071,802 to Sweeley et al. This patent discloses a movable wall section which is mounted at its ends to a rail provided on the side walls of the container. The side walls are provided with a plurality of spaced slots, and the movable wall has one or more bolts engageable with the slots to fix the movable wall in a selected location. A drawback to this construction is that, when the movable wall is moved to a position adjacent a stationary wall at an end of the container to define a maximum interior volume, the movable wall necessarily takes up a certain amount of space. Such space is then unavailable for accommodating the load placed within the container.
The present invention is designed to provide a more efficient movable bulkhead structure for a cargo carrying container. In accordance with the invention, a cargo compartment for a vehicle includes a bottom wall and a pair of spaced side walls extending upwardly from the bottom wall. An end wall, which may or may not be stationary and may be defined by the doors of the container, extends between the side walls. An upstanding bulkhead wall is spaced from the end wall and extends between the side walls. The bulkhead wall includes a fixed, stationary panel which forms a portion of the permanent bulkhead. At least one movable panel forms the remainder of the bulkhead wall when in a first position in which the movable panel is coplanar with the stationary panel, to thereby define a maximum cargo volume within the compartment. The movable panel is movable to a second position in which it is spaced from the stationary panel of the bulkhead wall and toward the end wall. When the movable bulkhead panel is in its second position, a cargo volume less than the maximum cargo volume is defined. A bracing means is provided for bracing the movable bulkhead panel against movement when the movable panel is in its second position. The bracing means is adapted for storage behind the movable panel when the movable panel is in its first position and the bracing means is not in use. In this manner, the bracing means occupies no space within the interior of the cargo compartment. In one embodiment, the bracing means comprises one or more load bars which extend between the side walls of the compartment and are engageable therewith. The movable bulkhead panel is mountable to the load bars for bracing the movable panel against movement when the movable panel is in its second position. The load bars can be stored behind the movable panel when the movable panel is in its first position to form part of the permanent bulkhead.
The invention further contemplates an apparatus for providing a movable bulkhead, generally in accordance with the above summary. A method of providing a movable bulkhead is also disclosed, generally in accordance with the above summary.